As some pundits expected, Warren Buffet’s letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders provided a fact-based, 1.5 page defense in the 30 page annual document. The Clayton Homes and relevant facts on MH Lending – a de facto defense aimed at Mike Baker’s and Daniel Wagner’s year long campaign waged in the Seattle Times, Center for Public Integrity and BuzzFeed – is linked here.
The full Buffett annual letter is linked here.
Could the Path to a Presidential Hopefuls Victory align with Supporting Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act?
The short answer is a maybe that could easily be a yes. The reasons why have been repeatedly noted in our twin trade publishing platforms. But let’s summarize them this way.
1) America faces an affordable housing crisis, as Julian Castro says in the video below, and manufactured housing is a vital part of that solution.
2) MH is a potential Micro-targeting and PR bonanza. With some 6% of the U.S. Population living in MH, and many March Madness Primary states having even heavier numbers of MH owners, plus impacted conventional housing owners and renters, any savvy presidential candidate can be a hero to millions – simply by doing the right thing. Manufactured housing ought to be a non-partisan, or bi-partisan issue – because affordable quality housing is non-partisan.
The short version is that any candidate who stands up for the reasons we’ve repeatedly spotlighted to protect existing home owners values, while promoting affordable quality living at no cost to taxpayers, taps into a total no-brainer, sure to win over some undecided voters or that will motivate voters who might not otherwise go to the polls…
3) The facts Mr. Buffett’s letter presents,
- points we’ve raised on MHProNews or on MHLivingNews, and
- facts that CFPB’s Richard Corday agreed with Senator Bob Corker on in the video above,
- a close look reveals that manufactured home chattel loan rates are not predatory. It’s just simple business math!
That math also proves the GAO was correct in saying manufactured home loans – even at a higher rate – routinely provide a lower monthly housing cost than any other form of housing. See the in-depth, video interview with Marty Lavin, JD for more insights from an independent expert on the topic.
More commentary on the Buffett letter’s defense of Clayton Homes will be found in the new March issue. The March issue of MHProNews may go live as early as Monday night, but more likely will be live on the home page Tuesday evening. Watch for it here on the MH Industry’s runaway most popular source for Industry News, Tips and Views Pros Can Use ©. ##
By L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach
